Built in OpenGL^® Features & System Requirements

OpenGL^® is a graphics system that gives software developers the ability to create high-performance, visually compelling displays of 2D and 3D rendered graphic images in software applications. OpenGL has been integrated with the X Window System, is transparent to the network, and independent of the operating system. The Built in OpenGL delivers a hardware accelerated OpenGL  allowing OpenGL X client applications to communicate across a network to a Macintosh running the eXodus OpenGL  X extension GLX even faster than ever.

OpenGL is built into  eXodus 9.0, giving your PowerPC, G3, or G4 Macintosh the capability to perform the following functions:
   

• Hardware accelerated for Macintosh PowerPC, G3, G4, and iMac
• RGBA or color index mode
• Geometric primitives (points, lines, and polygons)
• Viewing and modeling transformations
• Texture mapping - The process of applying an image to a graphics
  primitive, which is used to generate realistic images.
• Materials lighting - The ability to accurately compute the color of any
  point given the material properties for the surface and the lighting model.
• Gouraud shading - A method used to apply smooth shading to a 3D object to provide subtle color differences across its surfaces.
• Z-buffering - The Z dimension in a 3D object is its depth. The Z buffer
  is used to keep track of whether one part of an object is closer to the
  viewer than another. It is most important in hidden surface removal.
• Atmospheric Effects, such as fog, smoke, and haze.
• Alpha blending - Alpha blending provides a means to create transparent
  objects. Using alpha information, an object can be defined as anything from totally transparent to completely opaque.
• Double buffering - Used to provide smooth animation of objects. Each
  successive scene of an object in motion can be constructed in the back or
  "hidden" buffer and then displayed. This allows only complete images to
  ever be displayed on the screen.
• Anti-aliasing - A technique used to reduce jagged edges in lines drawn on
  a computer display. Because lines are made up of individual pixels, lines
  drawn at an angle have a jagged appearance. The lower the resolution of the display, the more jagged the lines will appear. Anti-aliasing is a
  technique that modifies the color and intensity of pixels on either side of
  a line to make it appear less jagged.
• Accumulation Buffer
• Stencil Planes
• Display list or immediate mode
• Polynomial Evaluators (to support Non-uniform rational B-splines)
• Feedback, Selection, and Picking
• Raster primitives (bitmaps and pixel rectangles)
• Pixel Operations (storing, transforming, mapping, zooming)
• Transforms - The ability to change the rotation, size, and perspective of
  an object in 3D coordinate space.

eXodus Features

OpenGL is a registered trademark of Silicon Graphics, Inc.
 

Copyright © 2003 Powerlan Ltd.